hi, i'm re of the best of europe. venice seems to be every italy connoisseur's... prague has always been beautiful... germany... the irish civilization... the eiffel tower was built... hope you've enjoyed the magic of... no trip to this city of art is complete without a visit to its greatest museum. when the medici family ruled florence from this palace, their offices, or uffizi, were next door, connected by this skyway. today, these offices hold the finest collection of italian paintings anywhere, the uffizi gallery. the uffizi's collection, displayed on one comfortable floor, takes you on a sweep through art history from the 12th through the 17th century. these altarpieces are gothic. being pre-renaissance, they simply tell their story through symbolism rather than realism. the gold-leaf sky isn't realistic, but it implies a rich and holy setting. the angels are stacked, like a totem pole. on this altarpiece, these panels tell the story of the crucifixion, but they don't create any sense of depth. yet artists were trying. to show jesus' head leaning out, it actua